Joni Ernst announces DC building sale in effort to reduce federal spending 

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), chairwoman of the Department of Government Efficiency Caucus, touted the sale of a major federal office building in Washington, D.C., as part of her broader push to shrink the government’s real estate footprint and cut costs.

The General Services Administration announced Wednesday that it had completed the sale of the GSA Regional Office Building in southwest Washington near the National Mall, on a roughly 940,000-square-foot facility on more than 3.4 acres that has sat vacant since March 2025.

The building, which once housed the Department of Homeland Security, was listed for accelerated disposal last year as part of President Donald Trump’s directive to reduce federal waste. 

“This building has been empty for over a year, but that ends today,” Ernst said at a Wednesday press briefing, displaying a “for sale” sign marked with a sold sticker.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Eric Mulata of Dalian Development, and